Crassula sarcocaulis subsp. sarcocaulis

Crassula sarcocaulis subsp. sarcocaulis is a miniature succulent tree of up to about 40 cm. It is often considered as a natural bonsai. This is due to the spreading evergreen tree-like crown on the sturdy, pale grey stem. The stem is fairly smooth, sometimes with gnarled parts. The to be expected common names of bonsai crassula and in Afrikaans bonsaiplakkie are then also readily found in the literature.

The species distribution is in the east of South Africa, from the Eastern Cape, the west of KwaZulu-Natal, the east of the Free State to Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The photo was taken in the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden.

The habitat is rocky outcrops in mountainous grassland. The subspecies is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century.

The other of the two subspecies of C. sarcocaulis, viz. subsp. rupicola, occurs in parts of the same habitat, particularly the Drakensberg and Lesotho (Smith, et al, 2017; Onderstall, 1984; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).